The Scoop with The Serpentine’s Bettina Korek: On Isha Ambani’s Return and the New Pavilion

Welcome to the Scoop: a weekly email series in which I quiz fashion insiders on the stories of the week. This will be a way for the Vogue Business community to synthesize and reflect on the latest headlines and get a little inside scoop every Friday.

This week’s guest is Bettina Korek, CEO of London’s Serpentine Galleries. Having spent the noughties making the LA art scene a thing outside LA, Bettina moved to London for the Serpentine job in 2020. She has been working on a variation of the same theme ever since: namely, to “bring the best of the world to one place and also take what’s local and share it globally.”

The Serpentine Summer Party, which takes place on June 23, actually started as a gala in the 1990s — Diana, Princess of Wales, wore her famous revenge dress there in 1994. In 2000, Zaha Hadid designed the inaugural pavilion, which marked the beginning of the event’s current form: The Serpentine commissions a different architect each year to design its pavilion and then hosts a party for the arty and the fashionable, bang in the middle of Kensington Gardens in London.

But hosting an event of this caliber comes with layers of complexity and many different players. I called Bettina for a chat.

Hi, Bettina, what’s the scoop?

Isha Ambani is returning to chair our Serpentine Summer Party host committee for a second year, and we’re thrilled. Other members of this year’s host committee include Adwoa Aboah, Sou Fujimoto, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Lisa Love, Sumayya Vally, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.

Isha Ambani is an Indian fashion magnate. The links between fashion and the art world are ever-growing, while India is fast emerging as a cultural power with significant spending abilities. Can you talk to me about that in the context of the Serpentine and the Summer Party?

Yes, art and fashion have always been in conversation; there’s that shared instinct for experimentation, identity, and self-expression. India is one of the most significant creative forces in the world. Isha has always supported Indian arts and culture by creating new opportunities for artists and taking part in projects that are based on meaningful cross-cultural exchange.

The Serpentine has always stood for the porousness between art and the other creative industries, and our summer party has long been a meeting point for representatives from those industries.

What does the host committee do?

The Serpentine party has been iconic since it started in 2000. It’s really a gathering for our community and our global patrons. We introduced the host committee two years ago to involve creative figures whose involvement expands our capabilities when it comes to raising funds as well as the Serpentine’s profile.

Last year, for example, Cate Blanchett was the co-host of the event, reflecting her work in Bangladesh and her interest in Marina Tabassum, the pavilion’s architect. This year, our pavilion is designed by Lanza, which is an architecture studio in Mexico City. Salma Hayek, Alfonso Cuarón, and Alejandro González Iñárritu are co-hosts.

Tell me about Lanza and this year’s commission.

Their pavilion is really a bridge between Mexico and the UK, expressed through brick, which is especially meaningful because it’s the first time brick has been used in the pavilion’s history. The Serpentine South Gallery facade is also made of brick, so there’s a dialogue between the pavilion and our south building.

How do you go about raising funds for the pavilion and the Serpentine?

The pavilion has only been possible through extraordinary collaborations. We work with a constellation of partners like this to bring these projects to life. Goldman Sachs has supported it for over 12 years, and we really wouldn’t be here without that kind of long-term commitment. Rolex has also recently been announced as the official timepiece partner.

Building our retail offer is also a real focus. You can see it in the new spaces around the David Hockney and Cecily Brown exhibitions, as well as in our artist editions and books. A lovely example of how collaboration spills over: I discovered this jasmine aroma blend, Swadesh, at NMACC (Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre). I get complimented on it often, and we’re now exploring a product collaboration around it. I don’t think being entrepreneurial and agile has to be at odds with curatorial rigor.

You have been in the job for six years. What was your original brief, and how have the post-pandemic years changed the world of art since then?

To strengthen the institution and protect its artistic ambition. Over time, what’s really evolved is how I think about delivering that. The Serpentine has had an American chairman for over a decade, and I’ve tried to develop a model of philanthropy that’s really rooted in partnership and long-term commitment. That kind of approach has always been in the Serpentine’s DNA.

My partnership with [artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries] Hans-Ulrich Obrist has also been central to this. His curiosity and international outlook feel boundless, and together, we’ve worked across a wide range of projects — from the Indian Highway exhibition to upcoming work with Amar Kanwar. All of that helps keep the Serpentine at the forefront of ideas and positions it as a place for genuine creative exchange.

We had hot girl summer, brat summer, some are claiming 2026 is a hot divorcée summer… What kind of summer are you hoping to have?

I will probably be in the park a lot this summer. We have the Park Nights series, which takes place in the pavilion, and a couple more events — one with Stone Island for the first time. I love being in London in July. Walking through Kensington Gardens with the swans and the ducks and Cecily Brown and David Hockney on view… It’s really magical. I hope that you all come and visit.